Simon Says... Is It Weird That I Miss Feeling Stressed Out Of My Mind?
On post-book life, ADHD meds, and wedding dresses.
Welcome to Simon Says, a weekly newsletter from Rachel Simon all about freelance life—from the inside scoop on just-published stories to advice on how to pitch to what it’s *really* like to leave a cozy full-time gig for the chaotic, unpredictable world of invoicing (jk, freelancing, but IYKYK).
On Monday, I turned in the manuscript for Pickleball For All. As excited and relieved as I am to be (mostly) done with the book, it also feels… kind of sad? Don’t get me wrong—I’m very, very glad to have my life back after six insane weeks of writing/researching/reporting while also teaching and freelancing and wedding planning. But I also miss the craziness: waking up early each day and heading straight to my laptop, fitting in interviews in-between classes and late at night, frantically jotting down half-baked ideas (interview 8-year-old?? look into France tourneys??) on the notepad I keep in the shower. (Side note: Get this notepad. It’s life-changing.)
It was chaotic and stressful and exhausting, but it was also fun. I loved seeing my jumbles of notes turn into paragraphs and my messy outlines turn into chapters. I loved closing up shop for the night after a hard day’s work, only to get an idea for a new section of the book and rush back upstairs. I even loved transcribing 50,000+ words (!) of interviews, because it meant I got to hear the coolest, most inspiring stories from dozens of athletes and pickleball fans. (Although if I ever have to listen to my own voice again for that long, I might die).
What I loved most about it all, though, was learning that I could do it—this ridiculous, impossible task of writing an entire book, on a niche subject requiring loads of research, in little more than a month. A month!
As a writer, I’ve always struggled with finishing what I start; I couldn’t tell you the number of half-written novels and screenplays and essays living on my laptop. Far too often, I give up on my ideas, get too frustrated, and lose motivation. But this time, I did it. I finished. And I’d do it all again in a heartbeat. Because as rushed as the process was, I’m really damn proud of how it turned out. The book is interesting and informative and entertaining, and I can’t wait for you all to read it.
Now, onto everything else:
Some Stories I Wrote Last Week
I actually didn’t have anything published last week because I was finishing up the book and hadn’t taken on anything new recently! But I will still give you…
The Inside Scoop
Each week, I’ll pick one story I’ve written (new or old, if needed) and explain how it got from pitch/assignment to publication. This week, it’s a story I wrote for Vice last November on the often damaging impact of ADHD medication on appetite.
I chose this older story because it’s one of the biggest reported pieces I’ve done since going fully freelance. The idea came from my own experiences taking ADHD meds that lessened my appetite, specifically how I’ve struggled to not develop unhealthy eating/body image habits as a result. I pitched it to Vice (which I’d never written for before) because it felt like a good fit with their health coverage, and over the month-ish I spent working on it, my editor really challenged me to up my game as a reporter and writer. It was hard—she made me dig deeper and think more critically than I’d expected when I’d first pitched the story. But I’m so glad she did, because I’m really proud of the final result, and I heard from a lot of readers with ADHD that it helped them navigate their own tricky relationships with ADHD and food/body image.
Other Work/Life Stuff Of Note
I picked up my wedding dress!! It’s PERFECT, y’all. Also, we bought our welcome sign and bridal party outfits and guest book and gift bags and a million more things. 52 days to go!
Coming Up…
I’m getting back to my pre-book routine and picking up more freelancing opps, so I should have a bunch of stories coming out soon! And I’ll also be working on book edits and figuring out little-but-important things like the acknowledgements and bio. Big choices ahead…
Thanks for reading, everyone. Appreciate you all!
-Rachel